Gosh. I've never recommended one before. Never thought I would.

But I see your point and am very interested in responses.

I'm not an e-collar hater, either, but I too think that in some cases (like this one), the basic ob is just not firmly enough in place to go this route yet. JMO!

Oh no. we used it. It is a terrible thing. She wasn't learning anything on it, how to heel or behave, so she would walk fine -but she did not understand that she shouldn't lunge towards the dogs, so she forgot the Haltie was on her and almost snapped her neck with it. It was fit properly, but every day i had to re-adjust it because the neck strap was getting looser and looser. eventually i had to sew the neck strap tight below the clasp so it won't come loose when we walk. Yume's nose was rubbed RAW by that terrible thing. She has a kinda sensitive skin...even a little scratch heals long-she scratches her shoulder a little just lying on the sidewalk, swear to god, there is still a scab there. So her nose had this permanent imprint from the Leader, and hen she developed two bald spots on her nose from it...I had to massage her nose after every walk, otherwise she would go around and scratch it on everyone and everything.

We stopped using it. I can tell you, she hated it to death. Every walk started with us going thru multiple adjustments, then she rolled on the carpet trying to take it off, and then we walked with her trying to stop everywhere and rip the bloody thing off. i made her stop that, but the minute i will not be looking she would be itching and scratching badly. She does not mind a prong for some reason. She is behaving tons better on it, too.
it's more of my problem, than hers, honestly. I have to find ways to accommodate both her and me with my special needs, now, sadly.

She does not "lunge" as much as jump like a jackrabbit when she sees a dog More of a wild dance and then tries to run up to it to greet, nothing violent at all.

Sorry, forgot to say that actually I do agree about the "proofing" stuff like recall with an e-collar, but we thought more of a replacement for a prong, not to torture her in any way. Are they that difficult to learn how to use? I certainly don't want o hurt her!
By the way she is a runner...per her previous parents, and my experience. When i was still working with her she at first loved to play keep-away with me in the house (yet another reason for groundwork and no off-leash time for her!) and I was told she loves to do that off-leash too, loves it when you run after her. But she is never off-leash, obviously. She is very mischievous, maybe in the distant future she would be more attached to us.

Sounds like another vote like Cheri's.

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

The one area where I really disagree with Victoria, though, is in her belief that a head halter solves all problems with dogs that pull on the leash. In my experience, they don't work well, and actually can be dangerous.

 Quote: maria martynchik

... She does not "lunge" as much as jump like a jackrabbit when she sees a dog More of a wild dance and then tries to run up to it to greet, nothing violent at all.

If you turned in another direction well in advance ... ?

I don't mean this as a permanent fix; I mean it as a band-aid while much better basic ob is trained at home. Is there a yard, porch, or driveway to be an interim venue (between indoors and "on the road")?

A dog who can't be controlled (as described) really is a dog who needs a lot more basic ob.

I don't mean correcting the dog out of the dance-and-approach; I mean an alternate behavior that works. A dog with a foolproof heel or sit or behind me is a dog who isn't doing a wild dance and a greeting run.

The dog is being tested without having the tools in place to rely on the always-better "do this" (rather than "don't do that").

I know it's kinda broken record-y, but we're back to

 Quote: Lauren Jeffery

Wait untill her obedience is really solid and all the rules are clear.

I way prefer solid commands to lots of corrections, and even more so if corrections are hurting me, too.

No backyard, no porch, nothing. No places we can take her and train her without distractions unless we do it at 3:00 A.M on the sidewalk; or in the park in the heavy rain . No front yard either, no garage (it belong to the other tenants.)

She sits on command well, even if the dog is in her face, but sometimes jumps up-too much of a distraction. Oh, we try to avoid and turn back, but there are people coming out of their apartments suddenly right into us, turning corners into us, and increasing number of off-leash dogs in the middle of the street. Pitbulls, etc. No leash. Their owners probably hate me because I am that one party-pooper with a stick ! who always tell them that there is a leash law in this city...oh "boo-hoo, why can't I just love everyone." Why don't they go to the park instead???
Their dogs are the ones that run up to us, not her. I can't really run away from them so I have to manage.
We just solved the problem with folks trying to pet her, we custom-made her a bandana that says "In Training, Do Not Pet." I had to fight throngs of people and children who would just approach us and touch the dog, so fast I would only gasp. Thank god she is friendly! Some get upset or angry when you tell them to please not touch her, even. She IS very cute, everyone wants to just grab her and run haha. Some don't listen (!) and proceed trying to touch her, or pretend they don't speak English...(Russian folks) ..Good i speak both and I am much, much less polite in Russian.
OK on the e-collar, we'll wait a bit.

 Quote:

I way prefer solid commands to constant corrections, and even more so if corrections are hurting me, too.

Me too

PS

PLUS, the O.P. has done so much in a couple of months that it almost appears that the hardest part is over. (eta... the first post included now-resolved challenges that I was thinking were still looming.)

I would probably focus on the GW but factor back in the tongue-hanging-out exercise (with aloof owner ... ) ... I suspect that this lack might've contributed to this: " "... she has been sitting in this damn crate for over 2 weeks now and does not seem to be much better."

I'd also focus on management to avoid the frequent corrections. "Do" rather than "don't" and managing the food in ways that don't require little battles over it.

"I am sorry, I do not tolerate my own dog not letting me into the room where she eats the food that I bought. Even if she is in the crate. But she never actually got angry at us around food -just a bit tense, and ONLY in her crate. She is totally cool if she eats outside it and I feed her. It's strange."

I don't see it that way. I see it as "the dog will now learn that she is safe from interruption and food insecurity with food I have given." However, in this case, I'd probably go with feeding her outside the crate even during GW protocol. (Again, I really don't like food battles, and find them to be bond-straining -- particularly at the beginning, which for me definitely includes a two-months'-residence dog ) . This is my route to complete security and calm around food.

If I am picking my battles, I want to minimize them in number. I don't want to correct all the time, and, as Ed says, I don't want GW to be a time of correction engagement.

I'd also remind myself to look at all that I have already accomplished!





Edited by Connie Sutherland (03/12/2011 05:25 PM)
Edit reason: eta in first paragraph

I should add that I'm not Akita-experienced.

I tend to look at many training and behavior "rules" as being non-breed-specific.



But folks who are far more experienced than I am DO put certain breeds into a special category ..... and Akitas are one of those breeds.

I try to look at her as a dog, first and foremost. I had dogs before. For many, many years. I had a huge German (Eastern-European type) Shepherd, and I trained her since I was 11 years old. So I was very comfortable with Yume at first and was solving problems without fear UNTIL I started reading too much about the breed, hanging out at Akita forum (really great guys there but too many breed warnings about how special, unique, and uncontrollable/difficult they are).

Before we got her, all I knew was romantic description of their loyalty, character and history of the breed, plus some grooming/feeding tips. Once I started going too deep into it, people started telling me how "if I make one mistake my Akita will never forgive me etc, etc," only then I started to get nervous around her. Now I am trying to avoid such breed-specific advice like the plague, when I am not warned too much, nothing seems to happen. I like to treat her like my friends do: "She is a of breed famed for the loyalty and a national treasure of Japan to boot. How lucky I must be, now I just have to go and train her properly." When I leave the house thinking how lucky i am to have a new dog, then we don't run into issues. I love breed-specific advice, but warnings make me too nervous to even walk with her. Plus there is sooo much negative Akita stuff on the internet.

Might seem funny, but true for me.

I wanted to say, on unrelated note, that she has helped me in some ways, too. I was much, much more distressed and emotional before we got her..my illness getting worse, there was, sorry to say, a lot of crying in the house, much more doctor talk, depressive atmosphere. I cannot act like this around her. Ever. I have to be ready to walk, feed, display authori-tay and stuff, because what leader is running around in panic...so we had a serious change in the house two months ago. Easier on me, a bit, too. So she did her job, whatever that might be. Any dog would do it, but because she needs more work I tend to control myself here much more than I do with any other.